More widespread butterflies also suffered - common blue numbers fell by 60% and cabbage whites fell by half, said the charity.

Dr Tom Brereton, head of monitoring at Butterfly Conservation which carries out the monitoring with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: "2012 was a catastrophic year for almost all of our butterflies, halting progress made through our conservation efforts in recent years.

"Butterflies have proved before that given favourable conditions and the availability of suitable habitat they can recover, but with numbers in almost three-quarters of UK species at a historically low ebb any tangible recovery will be more difficult than ever."

The charity says those already suffering now face a real threat of becoming extinct.

Fifty-two butterfly species saw populations decline in 2012 compared with 2011, with 13 experiencing their worst year in records dating back to 1976.